A New Game - Version 1
by SolarPhoenixStar
Summary: Unknown transmisson recieved. Decoding now; Hello? Can anyone on Earth hear me? This blasted thing had be}{}{}work, it took ages! We need help, {}-o's craz{}{}{}{}{}{-pped us in an}{}{}{}{}{}dimension! Send the ar}{}{}{something! Kao{}{}{}ying to ta}{}{}{} the E}{}{}{}{}{}we're just kids, we can't stop hi}{}{}selves! Hel{}{} Connection lost. Press 1 to replay. Press 2 to delete.
1. Say Uncle

Prologue - Say Uncle

 **So, this is something me and my brother Tech have been working on together, inspired by him and his best friend - aka the infamous Julie the snow fox - 's newfound interest in an obscure anime called Sword Art Online. I fully expect that no one likely to read this has ever heard of it, so the basic plotline of SAO is that this nutjob Akihiko Kayabara creates the world's first VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) and uses it to trap 10,000 people in the fantasy floating castle world of Aincrad, where the only way to escape back to the real world is to beat all 100 levels of the game. Once the final boss had been beaten, Aincrad self-destructed and everyone who had survived that long returned to reality alive and well - yep, I said survived. The twist was that if you died in Aincrad, you died in real life too. When one's HP dropped to zero, a microwave would fry the player's brain, killing them instantly.**

 **Anyway, it got me wondering. What if Skylands had a similar design, similar structure? Obviously there's differences, large differences - for starters Tech already used the VR thing in the original DC so I'm not doing that - though there's similarities as well. All in all, it's pretty different to a lot of stuff on here, though similar to some at the same time. So, this is an introductory prologue chapter - Tech thought it would be a good idea to, since this requires a fair few OCs, post an introductory chapter. The 'submit form' is at the bottom.**

 **A/N**

A/N

Skylands. A world filled with magic and wonder. A world filled with endless possibilities, infinite potential, legends older than time itself, and nothing that could not be done. A world that was a heavenly paradise to those who lived in it . . . . . . and an unreachable goal to those who didn't.

Case and point, Dr. Peter E. Kritted. We find this ageing man in his study, desperately attempting to unlock the secrets of an ancient artefact.

Dr. Kritted was a professor specialising in archaeology and cryptozoology. He was convinced that the human legends of beings such as dragons, griffins and unicorns had originated from extra-dimensional beings visiting Earth thousands of years ago. And the way he saw it, if a gate had been opened back then, it could be opened now in reverse.

He had discovered a mysterious artefact, composed entirely of a form of blue crystal, in small, a hidden forest in the Alps. Extensive testing on his part, including analysing it's molecular structure, comparing it's composition to other similar crystals and hitting it with a rock, had lead him to believe it was like no other crystal in the world. In fact, that it was not even from Planet Earth. The archaeologist had, in a stroke of 'brilliant inspiration', named it Krittanium.

Dr. Kritted saw the existence of the Krittanium as proof that his theories and beliefs were correct, and felt sure that if he could just find out how to use it, it would prove beyond a doubt the existence of an alternate dimension. A dimension that he, and only he, would have access to.

"All I have to do is get this blasted thing to work it's magic!" Dr. Kritted fumed, bashing his fist into it in anger. As expected, the blow had no effect and he merely injured his hand. "Blast," he cursed, but paused for a second in confusion as he heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. "Who could that be?"

Clattering down the stairs, he almost tripped on the last step and hastily grabbed the banister to prevent himself from falling. Slipping the lock, he swung the door open and came face to face with his younger sister Lucy. "Peter?" she gasped. "Hello, sister dear," Dr. Kritted weakly smiled. "Look at the state you're in!" she demanded.

The man looked himself over. His trousers were unbuckled, revealing a triangle of underwear, his flannel jacket was stained and dirty and the shirt he wore underneath only half buttoned up and in an equal state of disrepair. His feet were lacking both socks and shoes. "I've been extremely busy," he replied, and, anticipating her next question, cut her off in a continuation, "Yes, too busy to worry about personal hygiene,"

Lucy was suddenly worried about her choice. "Well, I hope you didn't forget that you promised to take care of Leo and Madeline for a couple of weeks while I'm out of the country on a business trip,"

She stared in irritation at his blank face and tutted in irritation. "You did, didn't you?" Lucy snorted. "And after all that trouble you surely went to to prepare their rooms," If it were possible, his face grew even blanker. "Brilliant," she sighed. "Leo! Madeline! Get your things and bring them inside!" she shouted. "This is going to end badly, I just know it," Dr. Kritted heard his younger sister mutter to herself as her two children appeared, both carrying backpacks and carrying a large plastic box between them.

Their mother sighed in resigned dismay. "Did you have to bring that with you?" she asked, though it appeared to be a moot point, their uncle noted, as evidently, they did.

"Well, duh, mom!" the older, Leo, retorted. "It's not like Uncle Peter has any Skylanders, or even a gaming system,"

"I think you might be surprised there, kids. _Right_ , Peter?" Lucy demanded. "Er, no, they won't," Peter replied, having no clue what they were talking about. His sister snorted. "I told you to go to the shop and buy some of those Skylanders figures! That way you could play with them!" she commanded in anger.

Dr. Kritted sweatdropped, that was something he remembered. "I'll be right back," he winced, dashing towards the garage and leaving his front door open. "Not right now!" Lucy shrieked at him. "Help the kids get their stuff inside!" she added. "They can take you shopping for those toys later!" She then turned to her two children. "Make sure he does that, okay? And don't let him just spend all the time in that study of his, make sure he actually does things with you,"

"Yes mummy," Madeline nodded. "Like he'll ever beat me and Wildfire," Leo snorted, remiving one hand from the plastic storage box to pat the barely-exposed Skylander in his pocket. "Leo!" Madeline whined, and he hastily grabbed the box again.

Lucy stalked over to her brother and glared him in the face, raising herself on tiptoes to increase her intimidation factor. "If anything happens to those kids, _anything_ , I'll . . ." Rather than words, she drew a finger across her own throat in the universally infamous pirate gesture for slitting one's throat. Dr. Kritted gulped nervously. "Yes ma'am,"

"Good," Lucy whirled back to her kids. "You two have everything?" she questioned, and they nodded. "Good, good. See you two in a couple of weeks,"

Their mother took a second to kiss each of them on the forehead, before returning to her car and starting the engine. Lucy waved and blew kisses to her children as she drove away, and they waved back until the car turned the street corner and vanished from sight.

"Alright, kiddies," Dr. Kritted smiled. "Let's show you inside,"

A/N

 **A/N**

 **Alright, here's the OC Submission portfolio;**

 **Name:**

 **Gender:**

 **Appearance:**

 **Personality:**

 **Favourite/Signature Skylander:**

 **Other:**

 **I tried to keep it simple. XD And my writing will improve that much with my discovery of the magic known as italics! XD Shine bright! Yes, that's my official sign-off. ;)**


	2. Arrival the First

Ch. 2: Arrival the First

"Where's your TV?" Leo grunted, hefting the weight of the crate. "Er, just through that door, in that room," Dr. Kritted responded, gesturing to a door to the left. "Put that box down and I'll show you two your rooms," he instructed, getting his first good look at them in the process.

Leo was tall and mature for his age, which was twelve, standing at a little over five feet, with close-cropped whitish blonde hair and a thin, angular face with protruding cheekbones. He was wearing a plain beige shirt with a navy cardigan and brown jeans.

Madeline was only eight, and had pudgy cheeks and long hair a similar colour to her brother's, but with a golden tint in place of the white. The girl wore a pink shirt with a crimson heart sewed into it and a light blue blouse. They both had glistening emerald eyes.

Leo dumped the crate full of Skylanders figures on the couch of the living room and turned back to his uncle. "Now are we going shopping?"

X

"Madeline, this is going to be your room," Dr. Kritted smiled at the eight-year-old. "Wow," she breathed, taking in the vast, ornate room.

It was exquisitely furnished, with sweeping, gold-painted arches and curves, a pillar in every corner of the room and a crimson rug. A large, four-poster bed was planted in one corner with a white wardrobe nearby it. "This is so cool! It looks like a princess' bedroom! I feel like a proper princess!" Madeline squealed in excitement.

"Wow. If this is her crib, I can only imagine what mine's gonna be like," Leo grinned. "Yours is right next door," Their uncle gestured to the next door down the corridor to the left. "Cool," the teen smiled, rushing down the hall and swinging the door open in excitement.

The room was bare and small, with a simple bed and white walls and ceiling. It could in no way hope to compare to the sheer opulence of Madeline's room. "What,"

"This was going to be the maid's room. Until I decided I couldn't afford a maid. So it's all yours, kiddo," Dr. Kritted heartily laughed and left Leo staring, slack-jawed, in dismay. "Fine," he eventually snorted, dumping his bag on the floor and leaving. "I'm setting up the Wii," he added, obviously irritated.

"Princess, princess, I'm a pretty princess," Madeline chanted to herself, squealing in delight.

Their uncle smiled, confident they were distracted, and crept out. "I have important work to do," he muttered, returning to his study to examine the relic.

A few minutes later, he was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice Madeline creeping in. "Uncle Peter?" she asked.

Dr. Kritted jumped in shock, turning to her in an instant. "Madeline!" he gasped. "You should not disturb me while I'm at work!" he frowned. "Sorry Uncle Peter," she pouted. "Hey. I thought you said you didn't have any Skylanders," she frowned. "I don't?" Dr. Kritted frowned. "Then why is a Traptanium Portal on your desk? It looks funny, though. There's no slot for the villains," she frowned, curious. "Huh?"

"That thingy, on your desk. It's a Portal for Skylanders. You've been holding out on me, Uncle Peter," Madeline cheekily grinned. "Come downstairs, I'll show you," and she grabbed his wrist and pulled with all her might. "Fine, let's see," he muttered, reluctantly leaving his desk and following her to the living room, where Leo was plugging in several cords and devices. "Look, Uncle Peter," Madeline smiled, grabbing one of the devices, the Traptanium Portal. Peter's eyes widened.

It was the same as the relic in his room, except for two differences. It was made of plastic, not crystal, and one side had a stone cell of some kind with a golden gate and a hexagonal slot in the middle.

'Unbelieveable,' Dr. Kritted thought. "You know what, kids? I have a sudden, completely inexplicable interest in this game, so don't ask why. How about we all go out and buy some of these Skylanders things?"

X

"I can't believe they made me buy two hundred dollars worth of toys!" Dr. Kritted muttered to himself, greatly irked at both the price tag and the fact that he was laden with plastic shopping bags, but consoled himself with the fact that it would all be worth it if these toys could make that artefact work. "Come on, I'll show you how to play!" Madeline squealed, dragging him to the TV room.

Leo plugged in the last cord, switched on the TV and tuned it to the Wii U's input. "Here we go," he smiled, snatching up the GamePad and opening Skylanders: Trap Team.

Dr. Kritted impatiently tapped his foot and waited as the game booted up, and Leo selected a new save file. "Get a Skylander, Uncle Peter," he commanded, and, shrugging, Pulled a random box out of the bag. Scrutinising the package, he found that the toy he had selected was a tall, imposing figure with armour that looked like wood and a helmet designed to look like an acorn. He was standing on a platform made of leaves and wielding a large, green, crystalline axe. "That's Bushwhack. He's a Life-element Trap Master," Leo helpful,y explained. Noting Dr. Kritted's cocked eyebrow, he continued. "All Skylanders are split into one of ten elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Life, Undead, Magic, Tech, Light and Dark. There's also a bunch of sub-classes, LightCore, SWAP Force, Trap Master, etc. and Bushwhack is a Life-element Trap Master,"

"I see," Dr. Kritted nodded. "Well? Play the game!" Leo exclaimed impatiently, giving him the GamePad. "Alright," his uncle responded uncertainly, taking the controller in one hand and still holding the packaged Bushwhack in the other, and glancing at the screen. "Player 1; Place a Skylander on the Portal of Power," he read. "Put Bushwhack on the portal!" Madeline squealed, pointing to the device he had seen earlier, and the Dr. placed the Skylander on the Portal.

Instantly, a symbol sprung to life on the screen that resembled a trio of leaves, before Bushwhack ap"peared on-screen, standing on a platform of energy surrounded by leaves and vines. He simultaneously swung his axe and performed a backflip, declaring, "Axe to the max!" before vanishing back into the symbol and soaring away. "So the toys appear as characters in the game," Dr. Kritted smiled, intrigued, and unsteadily grasped the controller. He took a few experimental swings of Bushwhack's axe, before proceeding to play through the first level of the game. "You're doing great, Uncle Peter!" Madeline cheered, and, despite himself, he smiled.

X

"Why do you still use that old thing, Madeline?" Leo questioned. "You mean Scarlet?" Madeline angrily brandished a Scarlet Ninjini chase variant figure that was plastered with stickers. "Because she's amazing and she's a fairy and she's red!" the girl added.

"She's outdated, she's a genie and she's crimson," Leo corrected, listing off his points. "Same thing!" Madeline pouted, pressing a button and slicing into an on-screen Brawlrus. "Die, walrus!" she commanded, and the in-game villain obligingly flopped over and died, bursting into experience points. "You should trap him," Leo suggested, snatching a Tech Trap out of the case. "That wasn't the trappable version, silly," Madeline snorted.

Leo shrugged. "What can I say, those anthropomorphic walrus pirates with handheld cannons that shoot starfish all look the same to me,"

"That's mean to, uh, anthropomorphic walrus pirates, with, uh, handheld cannons that shoot starfish," Madeline recited, counting off each word on her fingers to make sure she didn't miss any. "They're individuals! Look, I just killed Brawlrus Number One, and now I'm going to blow up Brawlrus Number Two, and don't think I don't see you in that corner about to attack me, Brawlrus Number Three," Madeline made short work of the low-strength pirate minions. "See? All three of those Brawlruses were individuals,"

"Uh-huh," Leo nodded, unconvinced. "And are any of those Brawl and Chains different from each other?"

"Yes!" Madeline protested. "Here's the Brawl and Chain that I dropped into the ocean first," she paused as the Brawl and Chain in question screamed, "I can't swim!" and continued, "here's the Brawl and Chain that I dropped into the ocean second," she paused again as the pirate pleaded, "Please, whatever you do, don't drop me in the water," before concluding, "and finally, here's the Brawl and Chain that I dropped into the ocean third," The last walrus just screamed on the way down. "You see, Leo? They're all different,"

"Based solely on the order in which you drop them into the ocean?" Leo skeptically questioned. "Du-uh!"

X

"Hey, Uncle Peter?" Leo asked. "Leo, I'm working. It's Dr. Kritted when I'm working," His uncle instructed. Sure enough, the crystalline artefact was covered by a sheet of newspaper - which Leo hadn't paid a second glance - and was furiously scribbling calculations. His laptop was open to what looked to Leo like some kind of convoluted computer code.

"Sorry, Dr. Kritted," Leo rolled his eyes. "Anyway. Do you mind if me and Madeline invite some of our friends over tomorrow to play Skylanders?"

Dr. Kritted paused. That sounded . . . He paused, refusing to let himself think 'enjoyable'. He wss a man of science, not some child obsessed with some game. That sounded, like, a good opportunity for a scientific experiment. "Sure, invite them over," he smiled and nodded. "Yes!" Leo fist-pumped and ran off. Dr. Kritted nodded and smiled. This was it. This was what would prove him to the scientific community. Who needed morals anyway?

What was evil, anyway? What defined it? Anyone could say something or someone was evil. But that didn't necessarily mean they were right. Who was anyone to decide what was on what side of the moral event horizon, or even where that horizon lay? He wasn't evil. He was just willing to do whatever he had to to prove himself. No one could make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

Turning his attention back to the portal that lay on his desk, how best to activate it? Was it as simple as placing a Skylander on the Portal of Power? And the design of bringing the Skylander to life in the game, did that mean that placing the Skylander on the Portal merely returned them to the world the relic had originated from? Surely that could not be right. There had to be a way for one to go from Earth to whatever strange place the Portal had come from . . . . didn't there?

A/N

 **A/N**

 **So, this chapter was mostly to develop the three integral characters revealed so far a little further. (Leo and Madeline's mum - whose name I have alrady forgotten, she's that irrelevant - is rarely going to appear) I kind of like the idea of a bad guy who doesn't realise that what he's doing is wrong, but not out of delusion or ignorance but simple disregardance. And I'm also curious as to how a bad guy who is constantly at war with his better nature would act and react.**

 **Also, the tournament in the next chapter will introduce the rest of the characters - ie the OCs I have accepted. In other words, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT OCS! Shine bright!**


End file.
